The Tall One
by IamtheProxy
Summary: I looked up towards the trees that were surrounding my house to look around and get a good image of the forest I had come to love. To my surprise, I saw what looked like a tall, pale man in a suit...and…and….was he faceless? I stared for a few seconds before my vision started to get blurry. That was when everything went black.


The Tall One

OooooO

I'm not sure how it happened. I was walking home from school one afternoon after being held after to make up a test. Around… six-ish I would say. It wasn't that it took me three hours to take a test, but it was that I grabbed something for dinner on my way home.

I was walking on the sidewalk a little less than a mile from my house, and as I was eating some fries, I felt something trickle out of my nose. I swallowed quickly and touched the liquid coming from my nostrils. It was a deep red, and it was very sticky. Blood.

I was having a nosebleed, but since they are rather common with me I didn't think much of it.

To help stop the nose bleed I ripped off a piece of a napkin I got from the fast-food restaurant and stuffed it in my nose. Then I continued to walk. A few minutes passed by, and I could see my house in the distance. I sighed in happiness at a long day that was finally coming to an end.

I pretty much lived alone since my mom passed away a few years ago, and my father was constantly off on business trips. I'm not complaining though. I rather like being alone for the most part. It is very… serene being surrounded by silence, and not having people around. You are able to be yourself. Which is why I like it so much… I guess.

I continued to walk down the somewhat muddy road, but I was beginning to notice something strange. Noises like crickets chirping or frogs croaking were completely absent. It was silent… not a single sound was heard, save for the rustling of the trees as wind rushed through them. It made the dark street feel eerie and unwelcoming. The fact that this was a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere (with trees surrounding every which way) did not help alleviate the stress of fear I was feeling. I ignored it just like I ignored my random nosebleed.

I walked up my front porch steps and reached for my keys to unlock my door, but my head began to feel heavy, and I felt so much…anger and pure rage flood through me. I dropped the bags I was holding and fell to the ground. My hands were clutching my hair roughly, and I keeled over onto the ground and started to puke, and oh it smelled awful. The pain was rummaging through my body at an unbearable speed. Oh god, the agony that was coursing through my brain was dreadful. I was writhing on the brick floor and screamed. Now, if I had been living in a neighborhood someone would have heard me scream and would have hopefully called an ambulance… if they were a decent human being. I live in the woods though, so my nearest neighbor is over two miles away at least.

I was starting to panic. My nerves were completely jumbled from the torment I was feeling and the confusion that was coursing through my brain. I knew I couldn't just sit there and let… whatever was happening to me keep occurring without letting someone know. I gagged and heaved whatever was left in my stomach, which was not much to be honest. The only thing coming out now were a few drops of blood…and I need that inside my body… not outside.

I reached one of my shaking hands into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. It felt like it took an hour for me to even get the thing open because of how shaky I was. I looked at the screen, but it was only showing black and white static. Then another wave of pain hit. This time my head was pounding and my ears were ringing, and I was still so angry. My throat was burning, and my insides were on fire. I didn't know if this was going to be my few, final moments, so I looked up towards the trees that were surrounding my house to look around and get a good image of the forest I had come to love. To my surprise, I saw what looked like a tall, pale man in a suit...and…and….was he faceless?! I stared for a few seconds before my vision started to get blurry.

That was when everything went black.

OooooO

Everything was fuzzy and dim… and then I realized my eyes were closed. I opened said body part and slowly observed my environment. I saw literally nothing but trees. It was dark… very dark. The only light I had were the stars and a half moon. My lungs were burning and they felt itchy. My throat was dry, and my head was pounding. Slowly, and as quietly as I could, I sat up and eventually hoisted myself to a very unstable stand on very wobbly feet. The clothes on my back were the only things I had that I could see at the moment, and some parts of them were stiff from the mud and vomit that had soaked in and dried.

I stood up and took a shuffled step forward, only to have my toe hit something lying on the ground. Bending down, I picked up what my foot collided with. It was a camera, and from the small red dot that was on its front, it wasn't dead. I popped open the screen to try and provide myself some light. It didn't do much, but thankfully I saw a flashlight option on the device, so I turned it on. It shot a beam of light at the ground, which unfortunately, was still not much. I sighed in annoyance and looked at my surroundings again to only see trees.

I guess all I can do is walk around… and so I did. What else was I supposed to do?

After a few minutes of walking in a straight path through the many plants that towered over me, I saw what looked like a huge, red, round tower. It was most likely a silo though, or at least… that is what it looked like. I jogged over to it and gazed at the top of the huge thing. I circled around it; there was a piece of paper stuck to its side. I looked at it in a sense of dread. There were scribbled words written hastily across the white parchment that read 'Don't look… or it takes you.' All of it was underlined, along with an X at the top corner, and a small stick figure at the bottom corner. The small figure at the bottom made my head rush with memories of the moments that passed before I woke up here.

I remembered what I had seen before I blacked out… it was the tall, pale man that didn't have a face. I didn't know if he was the one who brought me here, or who he even was, but I know that I do not want to see him again. Could the 'it' on the page be referring to the tall man? I didn't know… and I don't think I wanted to know.

I grabbed the page and held onto it with trembling hands. I was walking away from the tower now, and I could actually tell that there was some sort of trail leading away from it. I followed it to find myself approaching three massive boulders. I looked around them all to try and find another of the strange papers, and luckily (or unluckily) I did. This one was even more frightening, and it confirmed my assumptions.

It said, 'Always watches, no eyes.' No eyes…the man I saw before I passed out didn't have any eyes…or a mouth, a nose, or even ears. He must be the one who brought me here; it couldn't have been anyone else could it?

Again, I took the paper from the rock and continued walking. There was no trail this time, but I didn't stop in fear that someone was following me. It felt like there were eyes on my back… which was ironic considering the thing I was being chased by (I think) has none. I was holding up the camera to let myself see where I was stepping, but the screen had static run across it. I thumped it once with the palm of my hand, but it didn't stop. I shook it, but as I did I felt something brush against the back of my neck. I span around as quickly as humanly possible to see that nothing was there.

My breathing was heavy, and my heart was pounding. What was that? It felt like wet leather. I have to get out of here. I don't know what is following me, but I… I'm scared. I want to get. Out. Of. Here.

I ran and ran, and after my sides were burning to the point of them feeling as if they were going to spontaneously combust, I kept running. I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. If I did…I wasn't sure what would happen to me. Although I had a feeling it wouldn't be a nice, happy, or joyful experience.

I was running as I burst into a clearing, and in the middle of the field was a building that looked rather large. I didn't know if I thought I would be safe inside, but I dashed as fast as I could to get there.

The inside was pretty much nothing but white tiles that looked like they hadn't been cleaned in years. I walked quickly through the halls and every time I went into one of the rooms, they were empty. I had marked off mentally all of the rooms I had already entered, and when I approached the last one, I was actually surprised that there was a chair in the room. It was upside down, but it was a chair. At least the building wasn't completely desolate.

I looked around the room one final time when something half hidden behind the chair caught my eye. It was another page! I ran and grabbed it, but the only thing on this sheet was the words 'Help me.'

I had three pages now, but I wondered how many pages in total there were. I examined the pieces of paper I had picked up to see if they would help me find a way out of here, but there was nothing. Then I heard it. The sound of footsteps. I backed all the way into the corner and turned off the camera so no light was given off. There was only a few beams coming in through the doorway that came from the moon, but it was completely pitch black where I was crouched.

The footsteps had stopped, and I just sat there for what felt like an eternity. As I was about to get up to leave, I heard it again. Whatever is was, its footsteps were heavy and much louder than before. They were faster as well. I started to panic, and I searched through the darkness for anything that I could use as a weapon. I quickly realized the only other thing in here was a chair, but it would have to do. I reached my hand out to hold onto the chair in case I needed to bash a head in, but I froze from someone (something?) coming closer.

I stopped breathing when I saw a shadow pass in front of the doorway. Whoever had cast the shadow stopped in the opening and walked in slowly with its head down. It looked like it was wearing a tan jacket, and jeans. What was odd though was that it… he was wearing a mask. Yes… it was a he.

The mask had a face's features on it, but it was bleach white with painted on lips, eyes, and eyebrows that were all black. He slowly turned towards the corner I was in and just stood there…and stood there. He didn't move, twitch or anything. He just stood, and stared. My heart felt as if it was going to burst. I couldn't just sit there, and neither could he! So I slowly stood up with my back against the wall, and took a tentative step forward, and let go of the chair. That seemed to set him off though. Before I could react, he was flying at me with his arms outstretched, and the next thing I know, I'm being tackled to the ground.

My head hit the wall as the man's body was flung at me. I punched at him, and kicked and bit, and did everything I could do to get him off of me. Finally I must've landed a solid blow against him, for he loosened his grip enough for me to break free. Getting up as quickly as I could, I ran for the exit. I was sprinting again, and I didn't stop until I saw row after row of rusty containers. I wound my way through them until even I was lost in the rows of tanks. I stopped to get my bearings. Breathing hard, I looked around to think about what I should do.

It seems as though the more of the pages I get, the more…spooky it gets out here. It becomes more silent and dark. I turned the camera flashlight back on and used it to shine on the containers. I used my hand to dull the light slightly…I didn't want the weirdo in the mask seeing it. I walked cautiously around all of the containers, only revealing all of the light when I couldn't see a thing. Finally, I came to another of the strange pages. I picked it up and looked at it. This one was a little more normal... well as normal as something can be in this type of situation.

It was a bunch of trees hastily scratched onto the paper, and the tall one was also drawn on it. There were no words. I took the page even though everything seemed to be getting worse every time I pick one up. It was time I left this area and tried to find another. I walked away slowly, trying not to make any noises at all, which was kind of difficult to do since the grass was crunchy and dead. I managed to make it to the tree line though, and as soon as I decided it was okay to run, I took off.

I ran for a while, unaware that three of the strange beings were following me…not just two. I had found three more of the landmarks that had pages somewhere in the vicinity. The three pages I had found were frightening in their own ways. The fourth one had a single tree, the slender fellow, and the word 'follows' written vertically on the page. The fifth page had the faceless man surrounded by the word 'no,' and the sixth one said, 'Don't look… or it takes you.' I had found the three new pages at a blue truck, a tree that didn't have any leaves, and a group of wooden pillars.

They told me things I had somewhat already knew, but when it says to not look…why would that make me any more susceptible to the tall guy? I thought for a minute or two, but still had my senses on high for anyone or anything that could sneak up on me. Then it hit me.

When I was on the road and I had collapsed, the static hadn't affected my vision until I had stared at the tall one. Could he have a… sort of power that impairs my senses and causes me to become practically dysfunctional? It was a long shot of a hypothesis in my mind, but it was also the only one that made the most sense when put into correspondence with the papers. So, after the thought process that had gone on in my mind, I had decided if I saw the faceless man, I wouldn't look at him. I couldn't… if I didn't want to die. Which I don't.

I ran off again. I was weary to stay in one place for too long. I jogged along a trail I had found while wandering about. I was starting to get really tired, and hungry. I had puked up all of the fries I had eaten and my muscles were sore from all of the running. My head was pounding from all of the spooks I had encountered. I had to keep going though, or else I will… die.

Pressing on, I kept running until I saw another landmark. It was strange…and really random. It was four crossed walls. I walked around the walls searching for something… anything, and then I saw it. It was huddled in the corner of where the walls meet. It was another man. He was wearing a hoody that was yellowish, and I couldn't see his face yet. He looked like he was messing with something in his hands; I couldn't see what it was yet. I had turned the light on the camera off already, and then hid around the wall that was closest to me. I peered around the corner and I could barely make out what he was doing.

He looked as though he was taping one of the pages to the walls. I leaned forward to try and get a better look as to what was on the parchment, but I lost my grip on the edge of the wall and fell forwards, landing on my hands. The leaves and grass under me crunched loudly, and the force of the fall made my arms jar painfully which caused me to let out a gasp of discomfort. I looked up quickly, scared to see what the man was doing.

He had turned towards me now, and I could barely make out what his face looked like. Well… not his face but his mask. It was a black cloth that completely covered his face, and it had red eyes, and a red mouth stitched on it. We both froze, me out of terror, and him out of… I am not sure. Anger at me catching him putting up the pages? Glee and disbelief at the fact he will get to kill me and because of how stupid and clumsy I am?

I was waiting for him to make the first move, and the move he made was not one I was expecting.

He ran.

I crouched there on my knees, totally dumbfounded. I was expecting him to tackle me, or slash at me with a knife he would pull out from a pocket or…or…or something. I stood up slowly, still disbelieving that the guy had run away. For all I knew, he could have just done that to get me to let my guard down and to strike when I was most vulnerable. I was just going to need to be even more cautious.

I glanced over to where he was putting up the page. It was still there. I walked over to it quickly and picked it up. This one had the words 'Leave me alone' on it. God, I wish they would.

As soon as I placed this page with the rest in my pocket, the forest went dead silent. The wind stopped blowing the tree limbs, there wasn't a single cricket chirping, and the only thing I could hear as my shallow breathing. Wait… was that my heart? I could hear my heart beating. It was silent for a long time, and then I eventually started to walk off...then I walked quicker…then I jogged, and then ran, and then I was sprinting.

I could feel something staring into my back as I ran. Not just one pair, but three. It felt as though they were looking into me, and that they could see everything about me. They could see every mistake I had made in life, every accomplishment, and all of my feelings. I didn't know when it happened, but I could suddenly feel warm water running down my cheeks. I was crying. I hadn't really cried in years. Not since my mother died.

Then I knew. No matter how much I tried to deny it, no matter how much I thought things through, and no matter how brave I pretended to be, I wasn't just scared…no. I was petrified. I was terrified, frightened, horrified, and so many other feelings of terror that probably didn't have any words to describe them with. I had been scared before, but I had never felt this type of fear.

I didn't know how long I had been running, but now my vision was blurring. Not from the tears, but from the static that had plagued me before I was brought out here. It was clouding my mind, my judgment, my senses…everything. It was difficult for me to even keep going at a walk.

I am not sure if it was by blind luck, coincidence, or if the strange beings had somehow led me here, but I found myself approaching a large cement tunnel. It was tall and long. I could see a something on the inside of the tunnel on the other side. It was most likely a page, and now I just had this urge to collect as many as possible. I shuddered and gasped in pain now as I practically limped myself through the tunnel. It was dark once I got inside, but by now my eyes had adapted enough to the darkness, and I could see the general outline of things. The camera flashlight had died earlier on, and I had been forced to go on without it. I had told myself I would be okay, but now I'm not so sure.

A rocket of pain passed through me as I tripped on something on the dark ground. I was only a few feet away from the page now, and the static and the headache had grown with every step I took. I looked up at the page that was so close to my reach. I dragged myself up using my nails which had now pretty much all but broken off. Standing in a very hunched over manner, I could now see the page clearly. It said, 'Can't run.'

My eyes glazed over in defeat, and then I felt my legs being ripped out from underneath me. Literally. I screamed in absolute agony. I was grasping at dirt and air, trying to grab onto something. I wasn't sure what, I just needed something to hold onto. Through the torture of having my legs ripped off from the knee down, my brain whispered to me in a voice that was not my own, "Hold on to the pages." And I did. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the seven pages I had managed to collect and grasped them tightly. I was squeezing them so tightly they were being crinkled and practically mangled.

I looked up at the page once more. It was just sitting there on the wall…mocking me. Saying that I wasn't strong enough…and that I was about to die.

I had been subconsciously reaching for the page, and the second my fingers grasped the corner of the page, I ripped it off. Squeezing it just as tightly as the others, I rolled back over to look at the top of the tunnel, but instead I saw a masked face peering down at me. It was the one with the white mask. He tilted his head in a questioning manner, and then looked up and beckoned the other masked person to his side. They were both staring down at me now.

The one with the white mask then said in a deep and hoarse voice as though it hadn't had much use, "This one made it the farthest." The thing with the frown mask only nodded once in agreement. I tried to say something, but by now the blood loss from the dismemberment of my legs had me tired… so tired. I was fighting to keep my eyes open, and even with them open there was a fuzzy static everywhere I looked. All I could do is stare upwards at the two strange monsters, but then the white masked one disappeared from my view, and a few seconds afterwards, so did the frowny one.

I was practically numb all over now, the pain and blood loss had been too much for my body. I didn't feel it when the two guys grabbed the bones that stuck out from where my legs now ended, and I didn't feel it when I was being dragged away. My grip was loosening on the pages, and before I knew it, one of them had fallen from my grip. I moaned softly in despair at losing the one of the things that had kept me going. Then I lost another, and another, and another… until I had a single page left. I was still being dragged. Out of the tunnel it seemed.

I let my head relax, since obviously this was the end for me. I wasn't going to get free, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere. The side of my face was dragging on the ground, and I could see that we were almost out of the tunnel now. Only a few more steps and the two masked men and I were able to see the stars, but my defeated gaze had been locked on the tall, slender, faceless man I saw not even five feet away from me.

I had stopped moving, and I just stared at the slender being, unable to tear my gaze away. The static was getting worse, and I could even hear it now. Then my face was roughly moved by the frowny man. I was forced to look up as the other masked male lifted up a cement block. Time slowed down.

My hand loosened completely from around the final page, and the slight breeze that now drifted through the forest carried it away. I didn't have anything to hold onto anymore.

The static grew, the block came towards my head, and then…

I died.


End file.
